U-19 World Cup: Afghanistan, England seal semifinal spots
Afghanistan and England sealed semifinal spots at the Under-19 World Cup 2026 after wins over Ireland and New Zealand respectively on Friday.
While Afghanistan thrashed Ireland by a huge 191-run win, England defeated New Zealand by 65 runs to fill the remaining two out of three spots. Australia was the first team to qualify for the top four.
India will play Pakistan for the final spot on Sunday. Pakistan not only needs to beat India, but also by a big margin to overcome the Net Run Rate (NRR).
In today’s fixtures though, Afghanistan’s winning script was written by Faisal Shinozada’s 163 off 142 balls that took his team to 315 for seven after electing to bat first. Captain Mahboob Khan also scored 89 off 79 to give the final push.
Ireland batters, in reply, couldn’t get going with Marko Bates registering the highest score for side, 34. Abdul Aziz and Aqil Khan picked up three wickets each as Afghanistan bundled out its opposition for mere 124.
In the other game, England managed to defend its 234 for seven thanks to Manny Lumsden’s five-wicket haul.
Lumsden only conceded 17 runs in his 6.5 overs to keep New Zealand at bay and was adjudged the Player of the Match.
England managed to go past the 200-run mark courtesy contributions from Ben Mayes (53), Caleb Falconer (47), and Ben Dawkins (42).
Published on Jan 30, 2026
